  Those who consider Chennapattinam their home would agree with me on this posting. There have been several times when I have sat their wondering why I still lived in this #$%^&amp;*# city. But every single time I did that I found several reasons to what makes MADRAS(doesn't this sound better than Chennai) the best place to live in. My days began at 5:30 although I would be battling until 6:00. That extra 30 minutes of sleep is close to being in heaven. But there was always a reason to spoil my early morning sleep. My grandfather would blare the speakers at 5:30. They might have been religious songs but then for christ's sake this poor little boy is making up for going to bed at 2 in the morning.
I would be half asleep but would be singing along to the tunes of pullanguzhal oodhum....or Pallikattu Sabari Malaikku Kallum Mullum Kaalukku Methai. For people who weren't happy with what was playing at home, they always had the loud speakers blaring at the temple. If you still were not happy with the music visit your local tea shop where they spin old MGR and Gemini songs. Anyway, so much for my lovely sleep. Where in the world would you find these many options for a wake up call??
Only in the land of Madras. The next big thing to look forward to in Madras is the early morning traffic. I loved my rides to college. My heart would be in my mouth until I reached college. My bus driver drove like he was driving us straight to hell. However the early morning traffic is the prime thing. If you are lucky&nbsp; you also get the favourite greeting of a Chennaite, wothhaa dei(the 'w' gives it a little more emphasis). Another one of those favourite quotes of a Madras driver that you can't miss in the morning is "saavu grakhi..vootula soltu vantiya.. bemani". Now my morning is complete. The rest of the day is just gonna run perfect. Those who actually happen to miss their ride to work have a fun morning at the auto stand. The auto drivers are terrific. They don't miss out on the point that the cost of gasoline had risen 7 months ago nor do they forget to mention that OPEC is gonna hike the price up in the months to come.
Their expertise also extends to the field of electronics. The auto-meter has been improvized to show higher meter readings. An achievement that has not been matched by any of their compatriots from the other cities. Woow, can you boast of such learned men in your town. Well, I can!!! People from these parts of the woods are hard working(We sweat it out everyday).
We have three seasons..hot, hotter &amp; hottest(thank god we didn't have anythin' more than the superlative degree.. ufff). A landmark in Madras that every Chennaite is proud of is the holy river Coovum. It has served us relentessly. Never short of supply & provides us with such an aromatic experience. Your life as a Chennaite would be incomplete without a pilgrim to the holy banks of the coovam. Its stench takes your breath away. It is so powerful that it could pack someone to heaven if he is living his last days. Madras moulds you into a world class conservationist. We&nbsp; have no choice but to live with meager supply of water. From the time I can remember, we have always bought water for our daily needs. I also made visits to the street pump to ease our water problems. The cat fights that go on at the water pump are the best of their kind. If water pumping was ever made an Olympic sport, we the men of Chennai would sweep it all.
Don't leave the women out of it. The men would go nowhere without them. The $#%$#%$#%%$ is soothing to the ear when you are pumping water. You could see anything from a mere quarrel(filled with pleep pleeps) to bloodshed. Had the police pay frequent visits to my street. Can your city boast of such things..I bet not. The youth of Chennai would do anything to impress. For some reason they fancy the almighty MTC(formerly known as Pallavan). MTC is the local bus service.
Irrespective of the number of buses that are always full. Needless to say the heroes of Madras fancy them. It gives them the opportunity to not only exhibit their acrobatic stunts but also their romantic talents. Having traveled on them myself I wouldn't blame the boys for it. The girls are no angels and give the boys every reason to do so. Let us not delve deep into that for now. Could write pages on that. So that is the orasal &amp;&nbsp; idithal that goes on in MTC.
Why would you ever wanna miss out out on that. Would you?? My posting would go incomplete if I don't pay special tribute to the lingo of Madras. It has transformed tamil into a super-power language. When you swear in tamil, it gives you the feeling of a super hero. A feeling that cannot be matched when you swear in English or Hindi or any other language for that matter, for it sounds extremely gross. People here are so creative that they come up with new words and phrases all the time. What we speak in Madras is not Tamil. It is on a league of its own. I miss my daily dose of Madras-tamil in Boston. Of late I get to keep in touch with it when I chat with Abinesh.&nbsp; It is a refreshing feeling when you say wothhaa dei or $#%$#%$#%%^%^...hmmmmm. What better reasons can I find to live in Madras. No matter what people say or how much they whine about it, Madras is definitely the best place to live in this whole wide world. I'll forever remain a proud son of chennai!!
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